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Launch of the new UK Space Agency

The government has formally launched a new agency to co-ordinate the UK's contribution
to the space science industry. Not surprisingly, the new organisation will be known as
the UK Space Agency.

Previously, most UK space activities were handled by a loose partnership of government
departments and research councils; but with the rise of national space agencies around
the world, particularly in China and India, it was decided to create a dedicated body
to maintain and hopefully improve our involvement within the global space industry.

Although it may not seem so at times, the UK is actually a major player in the space,
robotics and satellite sector, and has seen growth of around 9% each year since
2000 - more than three times faster than the economy as a whole.

Our current involvement contributes £6.5 billion a year to the UK economy and supports
68,000 jobs. In terms of global space science, Britain is second only to the United States.